Colin PATES - Chelsea FC - Biography of his football career at Chelsea.

(Part 1) 1979/80-1981/82

The bizarre match in which Colin Pates made his Chelsea debut might have
given him an indication of the Stamford Bridge roller coaster which lay
ahead. The 18 year-old Carshalton-born central-defender, and occasional
midfielder, made his bow in place of the injured Micky Droy at Orient
in November 1979 in an incredible 7-3 victory. Droy's regular absences
through injury allowed Pates to make 17 appearances in his first season,
an impressive tally for one so young, and he was a composed figure
throughout Chelsea's eventually unsuccessful push for promotion. A
ball-playing defender who read the game superbly, Pates had the ability
to play in a number of positions and subsequently found himself being
used as a regular stop-gap by his manager Geoff Hurst. His 15
appearances in 1980/81 were played out right across the back-four but
when new manager John Neal took over at the end of the season, Colin's
luck began to turn. Neal saw the potential in a Droy/Pates partnership
at the heart of the defence, Droy's strong tackling and mighty aerial
presence being the perfect foil for the more cultured defensive
distribution of Pates.

Colin was an ever-present during Neal's first
season in charge, performing impressively alongside both Droy and Gary
Chivers at the heart of Chelsea's defence. An injury to John Bumstead in
February 1982 gave Neal the dilemma of who to field in place of the
influential midfielder for the following week's FA Cup tie against
Liverpool. Somewhat surprisingly he moved Pates forward from his
defensive duty and the youngster rose to the occasion. In an impressive
overall team performance, Pates was a crucial member of the Chelsea
midfield which totally outshone their illustrious counterparts, helping
the Blues to a memorable 2-0 victory. His performances in the middle of
the pitch so impressed Neal that he retained him in the position
throughout the remainder of the campaign, even preferring to drop
centre-forward Colin Lee back to centre-half rather than disturb his new
midfield lynchpin. On the final day of the season, Colin scored his
first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw at Blackburn. (Kelvin Barker)

Colin Pates pictured playing for Chelsea against Arsenal on 18th. August 1984.

Colin was in the starting line-up at the beginning of the 1982/83 season
but an injury picked up at Derby in early September left him sidelined
for a month. Soon after returning he scored his first goal at Stamford
Bridge with a 25-yard pile-driver in a 3-1 win against Charlton. Proving
he now had a taste for spectacular goals at the Bridge, he repeated the
dose a week before Christmas with a volley from outside the box to
clinch victory over Bolton, before impressively outshining QPR's Terry
Fenwick in the middle of the park at Loftus Road on Boxing Day to lay
the foundations for a shock win against the division's top team. The
form of the side that season, though not Colin as an individual,
precipitated regular changes in the line-up and his appearances were
shared between defence and midfield. Relegation was avoided by just two
points and many players were shown the door that summer but John Neal
had big plans for Pates. With Droy injured again, Colin began the new
season alongside Chelsea's new Scottish signing Joe McLaughlin. The pair
clicked instantly and formed a partnership which was so solid that
Droy, a Blues legend and club captain at the time, was unable to make a
single appearance throughout the campaign.

Neal reaffirmed his faith in
Colin by awarding him the captaincy of the team after Christmas and it
proved another piece of inspired man-management by the little Geordie as
Pates stepped into the role with ease and led the team to the Second
Division title. Colin's classy displays in the top division catapulted
him into the limelight, his impressive captaincy of a club on the up
particularly catching the eye. A string of niggly injuries after
Christmas led to him missing a handful of matches and his importance to
the defence was highlighted when, in his absence, Chelsea slipped to
consecutive defeats at Coventry and Ipswich. Pates made a total of 48
appearances during the 1984/85 campaign and scored once, the goal coming
in a stunning 4-3 win at Goodison Park against the season's champions
Everton. (Kelvin Barker)